Apple Daily reportedly compelled to shut 'in a matter of days'

Hong Kong-based newspaper Apple Daily will reportedly be shut "in a matter of days", multiple media reports including Reuters, CNBC and Bloomberg reported. Quoting Mark Simon, an adviser to tycoon Jimmy Lai who founded publishing company Next Digital, Reuters said the publisher is holding a board meeting on 21 June to discuss how to move forward. Next Digital publishes Apple Daily.

According to Simon, Next Digital initially thought Apple Daily would be able to make it until the end of the month. However, "it is just getting harder and harder" for the team. Just last week, Hong Kong's secretary for security John Lee also ordered HK$18 million worth of assets from Apple Daily Limited, Apple Daily Printing Limited and AD Internet Limited to be frozen. 

Apple Daily's editor-in-chief and four directors were arrested last week for alleged collusion with foreign forces. They included publisher of Apple Daily and CEO of parent company Next Digital Cheung Kim-hung, Apple Daily editor-in-chief publisher Ryan Law Wai-kwong, Next Digital chief financial officer Royston Chow Tat-Kuen, Apple Daily associate publisher Chan Pui-man, and Apple Daily digital director Cheung Chi-wai. Hong Kong's national security police previously cited more than 30 articles by Apple Daily calling for sanctions against the city and mainland China as evidence of a conspiracy to collude with foreign forces.

A day after the five directors were accused of foreign collusion, the newspaper increased its print circulation to 500,000 copies, six times the usual number of copies. It also devoted eight pages to the arrests. Channel NewsAsia previously reported that the spike in print copies were also carried out when Lai was arrested last August.

Tensions in Hong Kong between the government and Apple Daily go back to last year when Lai was arrested last August under the new National Security Law. He was sentenced to 14 months in prison in April this year after being found guilty for charges concerning the pro-democracy protests in 2019. 

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